Device for attaching mouthpiece to innerliner of aircraft water tank

ABSTRACT

A device for attaching a mouthpiece to an innerliner of an aircraft water tank is provided. A cylinder portion of an innerliner is thermally deformed to conform to an inner circumferential portion of a cylinder-like portion, and an inner circumferential portion of a dome portion of the innerliner is attached to a skirt portion by an adhesive. A lower mold includes two sections inserted inside the innerliner from the inner side of a mouthpiece in a folded state. The two sections are opened inside the innerliner and a holding member holds the two sections in an open state. The lower mold can be disposed in the innerliner sealed from the inner side of the mouthpiece, and abutment of an outer abutting surface of an upper mold against a first annular surface and abutment of an inner abutting surface of the lower mold against a second annular surface can be performed.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present technology relates to a device for attaching a mouthpiece toan innerliner of an aircraft water tank.

BACKGROUND ART

Known aircraft water tanks include a tank body including an innerlinerand a fiber-reinforced resin layer that covers the innerliner. The tankbody includes a cylindrical portion and a dome portion on either side ofthe cylindrical portion.

In an aircraft water tank, an opening portion is centrally provided onthe dome portions on both sides for cleaning the inside of the tankbody. The opening portion includes a mouthpiece centrally attached tothe dome portion and a lid removably joined to the mouthpiece via anO-ring.

The mouthpiece includes a cylinder-like portion with a female thread towhich a male thread of the lid engages and a skirt portion that extendsoutward in the radial direction of the cylinder-like portion from theend portion of the cylinder-like portion. The innerliner is attached tothe inner circumferential surface of the skirt portion by an adhesive,and the fiber-reinforced resin layer is attached to the outercircumferential surface of the skirt portion (see Japan UnexaminedPatent Publication No. 2011-251736).

The end portion of the innerliner is located closer to the inside of thetank body than the O-ring on the inner circumferential surface of theskirt portion, and when the aircraft water tank is in use, drinkingwater directly comes into contact with the inner circumferential surfaceof the skirt portion including the end portion of the innerliner.

Thus, in a known aircraft water tank, to stop water from directly cominginto contact with the mouthpiece and the adhesive that attaches theinnerliner to the skirt portion when in use, the surface of the skirtportion around the end portion of the innerliner requires a coatingprocess of applying a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvedmaterial.

This adds a coating step to the manufacturing process of the aircraftwater tank, and at the time of maintenance, the coating must beinspected and repaired. Accordingly, there is a demand for enhancementto increase manufacturing efficiency, to reduce costs, and to increasethe efficiency of maintenance operations.

The present applicant has proposed an aircraft water tank in which theend portion of the innerliner is disposed farther to the outside of thetank body than the O-ring so that drinking water does not come intocontact with the end portion of the innerliner when the aircraft watertank is in use (see International Patent Publication No. WO2016/194574).

In this technology, a cylinder-like portion to which a lid is joined isprovided on a mouthpiece, a skirt portion that extends radially outwardis provided on an end portion of the cylinder-like portion in an axialdirection, a first annular surface facing the direction opposite that ofthe skirt portion is formed on the cylinder-like portion, and a secondannular surface facing the direction opposite that of the first annularsurface is formed on the skirt portion.

The innerliner is formed by blow molding to form a cylindrical portion,a dome portion, and a cylindrical cylinder portion that continuesradially inward of the dome portion.

The cylinder portion of the innerliner is inserted inside thecylinder-like portion of the mouthpiece, the cylinder portion of theinnerliner is abutted against the first annular surface of themouthpiece and attached thereto via thermal deformation using a mold,and an inner circumferential portion of the dome portion of theinnerliner is abutted against the second annular surface and attachedthereto by an adhesive.

An end portion on one side in the axial direction of the cylinderportion of the innerliner corresponds to a sealed space on the innerside of the cylindrical portion and the dome portion. Thus, theoperation of abutting the cylinder portion of the innerliner against thefirst annular surface of the mouthpiece and performing thermal deformingcan be performed in the sealed space, leading to no problems.

However, the operation of abutting the inner circumferential portion ofthe dome portion of the innerliner against the second annular surface ofthe mouthpiece and attaching them by an adhesive is an operationperformed in the sealed space on the inner side of the dome portion.Thus, a mold for abutting the inner circumferential portion of the domeportion against the second annular surface of the mouthpiece cannot beinserted in the sealed space on the inner side of the dome portion,leading to manufacturing problems.

SUMMARY

The present technology provides a device for attaching a mouthpiece toan innerliner of an aircraft water tank, wherein a cylinder portion ofan innerliner can be abutted against and attached to a first annularsurface of a mouthpiece, and an inner circumferential portion of a domeportion of the innerliner can be abutted against and attached to asecond annular surface of the mouthpiece.

An embodiment of the present technology is a device for attaching amouthpiece to an innerliner of an aircraft water tank, wherein acylinder portion centrally located on a dome portion of an innerliner islocated on an inner side of an annular mouthpiece, the cylinder portionabuts against a first annular surface that extends in an annular mannerwith an axial center of the mouthpiece as a center, and a section of thedome portion near the cylinder portion abuts against a second annularsurface that extends in an annular manner with the axial center of themouthpiece as a center and that faces an opposite direction to the firstannular surface, the device comprising:

an upper mold;

a lower mold; and

a biasing portion that biases the upper mold and the lower mold towardone another; wherein

the lower mold comprises

two sections coupled together and swingable between an open state inwhich the two sections are opened flat and a folded state in which thetwo sections are folded and comprising an inner abutting surface capableof abutting a section of the dome portion near the cylinder portion ofthe innerliner against the second annular surface,

a holding portion capable of holding the two sections in the open state,and

a shaft member joined to one of the two sections that projects along anaxial center of the inner abutting surface from a center of the twosections in the open state; and

the upper mold comprises

an outer abutting surface coaxially disposed with the lower mold, fromabove the lower mold, in a manner allowing the outer abutting surface tomove, the outer abutting surface abutting the cylinder portion againstthe first annular surface, the shaft member being inserted into theouter abutting surface.

The two sections are inserted inside the innerliner from the inner sideof the mouthpiece in a folded state. Then, the two sections are openedinside the innerliner, and the holding member holds the two sections inan open state.

In other words, the lower mold can be disposed in the space of theinnerliner sealed from the inner side of the mouthpiece, and theabutment of the outer abutting surface of the upper mold against thefirst annular surface of the cylinder portion and the abutment of theinner abutting surface of the lower mold against the second annularsurface of a section of the dome portion near the cylinder portion canbe performed.

Accordingly, the cylinder portion of the innerliner can be reliablythermally deformed to conform to the first annular surface of themouthpiece, and the inner circumferential portion of the dome portioncan be reliably attached to the skirt portion by an adhesive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an aircraft water tank.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main portion of a mouthpiece and a lidwith the mouthpiece and the lid separated.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main portion of a mouthpiece and a lidwith the mouthpiece and the lid joined.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an innerliner obtained by blowmolding.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a mouthpiece.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an open state of the lowermold inside the innerliner according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state with the uppermold brought close to the lower mold according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which a coilspring is installed around a shaft member and a nut is engaged with theshaft member according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which a sectionof the mouthpiece between an outer bulging surface and an inner skirtsurface is sandwiched by the inner abutting surface of the lower moldand the outer abutting surface of the upper mold being biased by theelastic force of the coil spring according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which themouthpiece is placed on the surface of the dome portion near thecylinder portion of the innerliner according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 11A is a cross-sectional view of an upper mold body according tothe first embodiment, and FIG. 11B is a bottom view of FIG. 11A.

FIG. 12A is a plan view of one of the plate sections that constitutesthe lower mold according to the first embodiment. FIG. 12B is across-sectional view along line B-B of FIG. 12A. FIG. 12C is a plan viewof the other plate section that constitutes the lower mold. FIG. 12D isa cross-sectional view along line D-D of FIG. 12C.

FIGS. 13A and 13B are explanatory diagrams of a holding member and thetwo plate sections as viewed from below. FIG. 13A illustrates a state inwhich the holding member is located on one of the plate sections and thetwo plate sections are in a foldable state. FIG. 13B illustrates a statein which the holding member is located spanning across the two platesections and an open state is being held. FIG. 13C is a cross-sectionalview along line C-C of FIG. 13A.

FIG. 14A is a plan view of one of the outer circumferential membersaccording to the first embodiment. FIG. 14B is a cross-sectional viewalong line B-B of FIG. 14A. FIG. 14C is a plan view of the other outercircumferential member. FIG. 14D is a cross-sectional view along lineD-D of FIG. 14C.

FIG. 15A is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which thelower mold in a folded state is inserted inside the innerliner from theinner side of the mouthpiece according to the first embodiment. FIG. 15Bis an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the lower moldin a folded state is further inserted inside the innerliner. FIG. 15C isan explanatory diagram illustrating a state just prior to when the lowermold in a folded state is opened inside the innerliner.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an open state of thelower mold inside the innerliner according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state with the uppermold brought close to the lower mold according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which a coilspring is installed around a shaft member and a nut is engaged with theshaft member according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which asection of the mouthpiece between the outer bulging surface and theinner skirt surface is sandwiched by the inner abutting surface of thelower mold and the outer abutting surface of the upper mold being biasedby the elastic force of the coil spring according to the secondembodiment.

FIG. 20A is a cross-sectional view of an upper mold body according tothe second embodiment, and FIG. 20B is a bottom view of FIG. 20A.

FIG. 21A is a plan view of one of the plate sections that constitutesthe lower mold according to the second embodiment. FIG. 21B is across-sectional view along line B-B of FIG. 21A. FIG. 21C is a plan viewof the other plate section that constitutes the lower mold. FIG. 21D isa cross-sectional view along line D-D of FIG. 21C.

FIG. 22A is a plan view of one of the outer circumferential membersaccording to the second embodiment. FIG. 22B is a cross-sectional viewalong line B-B of FIG. 22A. FIG. 22C is a plan view of the other outercircumferential member. FIG. 22D is a cross-sectional view along lineD-D of FIG. 22C.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION First Embodiment

Next, embodiments of the present technology will be described withreference to the drawings.

Firstly, an aircraft water tank 10 will be described with reference toFIG. 1.

The aircraft water tank 10 is installed in an aircraft and containsdrinking water. The aircraft water tank 10 includes a tank body 12, theinside of which corresponds to a water containment space.

The tank body 12 includes a cylindrical portion 14 and dome portions 16provided on both sides of the cylindrical portion 14.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, opening portions 18 for cleaning the inside ofthe tank body 12 are centrally provided on both dome portions 16, andeach of the opening portions 18 is opened and closed by a lid 34.

Furthermore, a nozzle portion for piping (not illustrated) for supplyingwater to each location of an aircraft is provided on an upper portion ofthe cylindrical portion 14, and a nozzle portion for piping (notillustrated) for discharging water is provided on a lower portion of thecylindrical portion 14.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the tank body 12 includes an innerliner 22forming the inner surface of the aircraft water tank 10 and afiber-reinforced resin layer 24 covering the outer surface of theinnerliner 22.

The innerliner 22 is a hollow body defining the contour of the aircraftwater tank 10 and is formed by blow molding. The blow molding involvesmelting a synthetic resin into a pipe-like shape, inserting the pipeinto a mold, and pumping air into the interior of the pipe to obtain amolded product.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the innerliner 22 obtained by blow moldingincludes a cylindrical portion 22A, a dome portion 22B provided oneither side of the cylindrical portion 22A, and a cylinder portion 22Cdisposed projecting from the center of the dome portion 22B.

For the innerliner 22, various known FDA approved materials can be used.Examples of such materials include polyolefin resins such aspolypropylene and polyethylene which are thermoplastic resins.

The fiber-reinforced resin layer 24 is formed via a filament windingmethod in which reinforcing fibers (filaments) impregnated with athermosetting resin are wound around the outer circumferential surfaceof the innerliner 22.

Various known synthetic resins such as epoxy resin can be used as thethermosetting resin. Various known fibers such as carbon fibers or glassfibers can be used as the reinforcing fibers.

Each of the opening portions 18 is formed by an annular mouthpiece 26attached between an end of the innerliner 22 and an end of thefiber-reinforced resin layer 24. As illustrated in FIG. 3, when theaircraft water tank 10 is in use, the opening portion 18 is sealed bythe lid 34.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the mouthpiece 26 includes a cylinder-likeportion 30 centrally disposed in the dome portion 16, a skirt portion32, and a bulging portion 38.

A female thread 36 is provided on the inner circumferential portion of afirst end of the cylinder-like portion 30 in the axial direction. Thefemale thread 36 is the mouthpiece side joining portion on themouthpiece side to which the lid 34 joins to.

The skirt portion 32 extends outward in the radial direction of thecylinder-like portion 30 from the entire circumference of the outercircumferential portion of a second end of the cylinder-like portion 30in the axial direction.

The bulging portion 38 bulges inward in the radial direction from theentire circumference of the inner circumferential portion of the secondend of the cylinder-like portion 30 in the axial direction. The bulgingportion 38 bulges inward in the radial direction further than the innerdiameter of the female thread 36.

The bulging portion 38 includes a first annular surface 40 that facesthe first end side of the cylinder-like portion 30 in the axialdirection and includes an inner circumferential surface 41 thatcontinues on from the inner circumferential end of the first annularsurface 40.

The first annular surface 40 includes an inclined surface 4002, anannular surface 4004, and a flat surface 4006.

The inclined surface 4002 is formed with a conical surface with an innerdiameter gradually increasing toward the first end side in the axialdirection of the cylinder-like portion 30, and the second end of theinclined surface 4002 in the axial direction is connected to the innercircumferential surface 41.

The annular surface 4004 is connected to a first end of the inclinedsurface 4002 in the axial direction and is formed in an annular shapewith a flat surface orthogonal to the axial direction with an outerdiameter greater than the inner diameter of the first end of theinclined surface 4002.

The flat surface 4006 is formed with an annular flat surface orthogonalto the axial direction located outward in the radial direction of theannular surface 4004 at a position of the bulging portion 38 separatedfrom the annular surface 4004 to the first end side in the axialdirection by a distance corresponding to the thickness of the innerliner22.

In addition, a groove 42 that includes an inner circumferential surfacewith dimensions greater than the major diameter of the female thread 36is formed at a position of the inner circumferential portion of thecylinder-like portion 30, the position where the female thread 36 andthe bulging portion 38 meet.

Of the pair of opposing side surfaces of the groove 42, the side surfaceon the bulging portion 38 side is flush with the flat surface 4006.

The skirt portion 32 is formed so that the outer diameter increasesgradually in the direction away from the bulging portion 38 and the wallthickness decreases.

The skirt portion 32 includes a second annular surface (inner skirtsurface) 3202 facing the direction opposite to that of the first end ofthe cylinder-like portion 30 in the axial direction and an outer skirtsurface 3204 facing the first end side of the cylinder-like portion 30in the axial direction.

As illustrated in FIG. 10, the inner circumferential end of the innerskirt surface 3202 is connected to the inner circumferential surface 41,and the inner skirt surface 3202 and the inner circumferential surface41 have a shape that conforms to the central portion of the dome portion22B of the innerliner 22 and the base portion of the cylinder portion22C and are designed so that the innerliner 22 described below can besmoothly attached from the inner skirt surface 3202 to the surface ofthe bulging portion 38.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the fiber-reinforced resin layer 24 isattached from the cylindrical portion 22A of the innerliner 22 and thedome portion 22B to the outer skirt surface 3204 of the mouthpiece 26and the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder-like portion 30.

The innerliner 22 is thermally deformed with a section of the domeportion 22B near the cylinder portion 22C abutted against the secondannular surface 3202 and attached by an adhesive and with the cylinderportion 22C abutted against the first annular surface 40.

An end portion 2202 of the thermally deformed innerliner 22 is locatedon the annular surface 4004 further inward in the radial direction thanthe inner diameter of the female thread 36. Accordingly, when thecylinder portion 22C is thermally deformed on the first annular surface40, whether the innerliner 22 is securely abutted against the firstannular surface 40 and attached thereto can be easily visually confirmedfrom the inner side of the female thread 36. This configuration allowsmanufacturing efficiency to be improved.

The lid 34 includes a ring plate portion 44, a cylinder portion 46disposed projecting from the inner circumferential portion of one endsurface of the ring plate portion 44 in the thickness direction, and anend surface portion 48 that connects the end of the cylinder portion 46.

A male thread 50 is formed on the outer circumferential portion of thering plate portion 44. The male thread 50 is the lid side joiningportion to which the mouthpiece side joining portion joins and canengage with the female thread 36.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, an O-ring 52 is installed as asealing member at a section on the outer circumferential surface of thecylinder portion 46 near the end surface. By installing the O-ring 52 onthe lid 34, the opening and closing operation of the opening portion 18via the lid 34 can be simplified.

Note that in the present embodiment, the mouthpiece 26 and the lid 34are formed of the same synthetic resin material as the FDA approvedmaterial, and the male thread 50 and the female thread 36 can smoothlybe joined together.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, with the lid 34 joined to the opening portion18 via engagement of the male thread 50 with the female thread 36, theO-ring 52 is compressed between the portion of the lid 34 projectingtoward the inside of the tank body 12 from the female thread 36 and theportion of the innerliner 22 located at the inclined surface 4002. Thisallows the opening portion 18 to be sealed in a liquid-tight manner andfor a sealed water containment space 12A to be formed inside the tankbody 12.

In the present embodiment, the portion of the lid 34 that compresses theO-ring 52 is a corner portion formed by an end surface 4402 of the ringplate portion 44 and an outer circumferential surface 4602 of thecylinder portion 46. The portion of the innerliner 22 that compressesthe O-ring 52 is the portion located at the inclined surface 4002.

The end portion 2202 of the innerliner 22 attached to the surface of thebulging portion 38 is located at a section on the surface of the bulgingportion 38 further away from the water containment space 12A than wherethe O-ring 52 is compressed.

According to such an aircraft water tank 10, with the opening portion 18sealed by the lid 34, the second annular surface 3202 of the skirtportion 32 of the mouthpiece 26 and the surface of the bulging portion38 located in the drinking water are covered by the innerliner 22, andthe end portion 2202 of the innerliner 22 is located on the surface ofthe bulging portion 38 further away from the water containment space 12Athan the O-ring 52 that seals the inside of the tank body 12 in aliquid-tight manner. In other words, the end portion 2202 of theinnerliner 22 is positioned outside the water containment space 12A.

Thus, when the aircraft water tank 10 is in use, water contained insidethe tank body 12 does not come into contact with the end portion 2202 ofthe innerliner 22. That is, the water does not come into contact withthe mouthpiece 26 and/or the adhesive for attaching the innerliner 22 tothe mouthpiece 26.

As a result, the coating operation to prevent water leakage using an FDAapproved material on the surface (second annular surface 3202) of theskirt portion 32 around the end portion 2202 of the innerliner 22 can beomitted. This has the advantage of increasing the manufacturingefficiency of the aircraft water tank 10 and reducing costs.Furthermore, at the time of maintenance, the operation of inspecting andrepairing the coating for preventing water leakage using an FDA approvedmaterial can be omitted. This has the advantage of increasing theefficiency of maintenance work.

Furthermore, when the aircraft water tank 10 is in use, the secondannular surface 3202 and the surface of the bulging portion 38 of themouthpiece 26 located in the drinking water are covered by theinnerliner 22. Thus, the mouthpiece 26 and the drinking water do notcome into direct contact with one another.

Accordingly, in manufacturing the mouthpiece 26, the material used isnot restricted to an FDA approved material and desired materials withvarious properties can be used. This has the advantage of increasing thedegree of freedom in design.

Next, an attaching device for attaching the innerliner 22 and themouthpiece 26 of such an aircraft water tank together will be described.

As illustrated in FIGS. 6 to 9, an attaching device 54 includes an uppermold 56, a lower mold 58, and a biasing portion 60.

The upper mold 56 includes an upper mold body 62 and a heating portion64.

The upper mold 56 is formed of a material with rigidity. As such amaterial, various known materials that include a metal can be employed.In the present embodiment, an aluminum alloy is used.

As illustrated in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the upper mold body 62 has asubstantially disk-like shape. A shaft insertion hole 6202, a heatingportion containing recess portion 6204, an upper cylindrical surfaceportion 6206, an upper mold side positioning cylindrical surface 6208,and an outer abutting surface 6210 are provided on the upper mold body62. The shaft insertion hole 6202, the upper cylindrical surface portion6206, the upper mold side positioning cylindrical surface 6208, and theouter abutting surface 6210 are coaxially located.

The shaft insertion hole 6202 is formed in the inner circumferentialsurface of a bearing 63 fitted to a boss portion 61 of a central portionof the upper mold body 62. The axial center of the upper mold body 62and the axial center of the bearing 63 are aligned with one another. Theshaft insertion hole 6202, together with a shaft member 70 describedbelow, functions to position the upper mold 56 and the lower mold 58 ina coaxial manner, and the bearing 63 rotatably supports the shaft member70.

The heating portion containing recess portion 6204 is provided on theupper surface of the upper mold body 62 and extends in thecircumferential direction. The heating portion 64 is contained by theheating portion containing recess portion 6204 and heats the outerabutting surface 6210. Various known heating members such as electricheaters can be used as the heating portion 64.

The upper cylindrical surface portion 6206 is formed on the upperportion of the upper mold body 62 with an outer circumferential surfacewith an outer diameter less than the inner diameter of the female thread36.

The upper mold side positioning cylindrical surface 6208 is formed onthe lower portion of the upper mold body 62 with an outercircumferential surface with an outer diameter less than the uppercylindrical surface portion 6206, or in other words, formed with acylindrical surface with the axial center of the upper mold body 62 asits center. The upper mold side positioning cylindrical surface 6208functions to position the upper mold 56 and the lower mold 58 in acoaxial manner.

An inclined surface 6208A is formed on the lower end of the upper moldside positioning cylindrical surface 6208. The outer diameter of theinclined surface 6208A gradually decreases downwards. The inclinedsurface 6208A facilitates the smooth engagement of the upper mold sidepositioning cylindrical surface 6208 and a lower mold side positioningcylindrical surface 5804 to be described below.

The outer abutting surface 6210 is a section that abuts the cylinderportion 22C of the innerliner 22 against the first annular surface 40 ofthe mouthpiece 26 and connects together the lower end of the uppercylindrical surface portion 6206 and the upper end of the upper moldside positioning cylindrical surface 6208.

The outer abutting surface 6210 includes a first abutting surface 6210Athat abuts the end portion 2202 of the cylinder portion 22C against theannular surface 4004 and a second abutting surface 6210B that abuts thesection of the cylinder portion 22C following on from the end portion2202 against the inclined surface 4002.

The first abutting surface 6210A is formed with an annular flat surfacewith an outer diameter that is greater than that of the annular surface4004, abuts the end portion 2202 of the cylinder portion 22C against theannular surface 4004, and to itself abuts the flat surface 4006.

The second abutting surface 6210B is formed by the inclined surface 4002that has an outer diameter that gradually decreases from the innercircumferential end of the first abutting surface 6210A toward the uppermold side positioning cylindrical surface 6208 and is a conical surfacein the present embodiment.

When viewed in the axial direction of the upper mold 56, the secondabutting surface 6210B extends such that the lower end is located on theinner side of a section of the inner circumferential end of the inclinedsurface 4002 of the mouthpiece 26 plus the thickness of the innerliner22 in the radial direction of the upper mold 56.

As illustrated in FIGS. 6 to 9, the lower mold 58 is coaxially disposedwith the upper mold 56 under the upper mold 56.

The lower mold 58 includes an inner abutting surface 5802 and the lowermold side positioning cylindrical surface 5804.

The inner abutting surface 5802 is the section that abuts the section ofthe dome portion 22B near the cylinder portion 22C against the secondannular surface 3202 to attach the two via an adhesive.

The lower mold side positioning cylindrical surface 5804 is formed witha cylindrical surface with the axial center of the lower mold 58 as acenter axis and is capable of engaging with the upper mold sidepositioning cylindrical surface 6208.

By the lower mold side positioning cylindrical surface 5804 and theupper mold side positioning cylindrical surface 6208 engaging, the uppermold 56 and the lower mold 58 are coaxially positioned.

By the shaft member 70 being inserted into the bearing 63, the uppermold 56 and the lower mold 58 are coaxially positioned, and by the lowermold side positioning cylindrical surface 5804 and the upper mold sidepositioning cylindrical surface 6208 engaging, the upper mold 56 and thelower mold 58 are coaxially positioned. In the present embodiment, bythe shaft member 70 being inserted into the bearing 63, the upper mold56 and the lower mold 58 are coaxially positioned, and by the lower moldside positioning cylindrical surface 5804 and the upper mold sidepositioning cylindrical surface 6208 engaging, the upper mold 56 and thelower mold 58 are coaxially positioned in a supplementary manner.Accordingly, the lower mold side positioning cylindrical surface 5804and the upper mold side positioning cylindrical surface 6208 can beomitted.

The section of the lower mold 58 that includes the lower mold sidepositioning cylindrical surface 5804 is formed of a material with alower thermal conductivity than that of the upper mold 56.

In the present embodiment, the lower mold 58 includes a plate portion 66and an outer circumferential member 68.

The plate portion 66 is formed of a disk-like member with a uniformthickness that has an outer diameter that corresponds to the outerdiameter of the second annular surface 3202.

The plate portion 66 is formed of a material with rigidity. As such amaterial, various known materials that include a metal can be employed.In the present embodiment, an aluminum alloy is used.

The outer circumferential member 68 is detachably attached to the outercircumferential portion of the plate portion 66 by a screw N.

The outer circumferential member 68 is formed of a material with a lowerthermal conductivity than that of the upper mold 56, with rigidity, andwith a higher heat resistance than that of the innerliner 22.

Various known materials such as fluororesins can be employed as such amaterial with rigidity, with heat resistance, and with a low thermalconductivity.

The outer circumferential member 68 has a ring plate shape, and theinner circumferential surface is formed as the lower mold sidepositioning cylindrical surface 5804, which is capable of engaging withthe upper mold side positioning cylindrical surface 6208.

The upper surface of the outer circumferential member 68 is formed asthe inner abutting surface 5802.

As illustrated in FIGS. 6 to 9, the portion of the outer circumferentialmember 68 near the inner circumferential end is formed as an uprightportion 6802 that rises upward conforming to the inner circumferentialsurface 41 of the bulging portion 38 of the mouthpiece 26 locatedoutward of the upper mold side positioning cylindrical surface 6208 inthe radial direction.

The shaft member 70 is disposed projecting from the center of the plateportion 66 in the axial direction of the lower mold 58.

The shaft member 70 is inserted into a bearing 67 fit to the center ofthe plate portion 66.

When the innerliner 22 and the mouthpiece 26 are attached to oneanother, the shaft member 70 is inserted into the shaft insertion hole6202 of the bearing 63 of the upper mold 56.

The biasing portion 60 includes a coil spring 72 installed around theshaft member 70 that biases the upper mold body 62 toward the lower mold58.

That is, one end of the coil spring 72 abuts the upper surface of theinner circumferential portion of the upper mold body 62, and the otherend of the coil spring 72 abuts a nut 74 fit to the shaft member 70.

By rotating the nut 74, the compression length of the coil spring 72 isadjusted, and the force of pressing the upper mold body 62 against thelower mold 58 is adjusted.

In the present embodiment, an end portion of the mouthpiece 26 on oneside in the axial direction corresponds to sealed space inward of thedome portion 22B and the cylindrical portion 22A of the innerliner 22.

As such, as illustrated in FIGS. 12 to 15, the lower mold 58 includestwo sections 58A, 58B. The two sections 58A, 58B are inserted inside theinnerliner 22 from the inner side of the mouthpiece 26 in a foldedstate. Then, the two sections 58A, 58B are opened inside the innerliner22.

In other words, as illustrated in FIGS. 12A to 12D and FIGS. 13A and13B, the plate portion 66 includes two plate sections 66A, 66B coupledtogether and swingable via a hinge 78 between an open state in which theplate sections 66A, 66B open flat and a folded state in which the platesections 66A, 66B are folded in a direction toward one another.

The plate section 66A of the two plate sections 66A, 66B is providedwith a thick cylindrical boss portion 6602 located in the center of theplate portion 66. The bearing 67 fits in the hole of the cylindricalboss portion 6602.

Additionally, the plate section 66B of the two plate sections 66A, 66Bis provided with a semicircular arc-shaped missing portion 6604 that iscapable of engaging with the cylindrical boss portion 6602.

As illustrated in FIG. 13C, the shaft member 70 is inserted into thebearing 67 and supported by the bearing 67 in a rotatable manner, and aholding member 76 is attached in a manner so that it integrally rotateswith the shaft member 70.

As illustrated in FIGS. 13A and 13C, when the two plate sections 66A,66B are folded, the holding member 76 corresponds to a first position(first rotational position) located only under the plate section 66Aprovided with the shaft member 70. In the open state, as illustrated inFIG. 13B, the holding member 76 corresponds to a second position (secondrotational position) 180 degrees rotated from the first position andextending across the lower surface of both of the plate sections 66A,66B and functions to maintain the open state.

In other words, in the present embodiment, the holding portion thatenables the two plate sections 66A, 66B to be held in an open state iscomposed of the holding member 76.

As illustrated in FIGS. 14A to 14D, the outer circumferential member 68includes outer circumferential sections 68A, 68B provided on the outercircumferential portion of the two plate sections 66A, 66B.

Half of each of the inner abutting surface 5802 and the lower mold sidepositioning cylindrical surface 5804 is formed each of the outercircumferential sections 68A, 68B.

When the two plate sections 66A, 66B are in an open state, the innerabutting surface 5802 and the lower mold side positioning cylindricalsurface 5804 are formed from the outer circumferential sections 68A, 68Battached to the plate sections 66A, 66B.

Next, a process of attaching the innerliner 22 and the mouthpiece 26together using the attaching device 54 will be described.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the innerliner 22 formed by blow moldingincludes the cylindrical portion 22A, the dome portion 22B on eitherside of the cylindrical portion 22A, and the cylinder portion 22Cdisposed projecting from the center of the dome portion 22B.

Firstly, as illustrated in FIG. 10, an adhesive is applied to thesurface of the dome portion 22B near the cylinder portion 22C, and themouthpiece 26 is placed on the surface of the dome portion 22B near thecylinder portion 22C so that the cylinder portion 22C is inserted on theinner side of the bulging portion 38.

Next, the lower mold 58 is inserted inside the dome portion 22B from theinner side of the cylinder portion 22C.

As illustrated in FIGS. 15A, 15B, and 15C, the lower mold 58 is insertedinside the innerliner 22 from the inner side of the cylinder portion 22Cvia the shaft member 70 with the two plate sections 66A, 66B in a foldedstate.

Next, a worker inserts his/her hand from the inner side of the cylinderportion 22C to open the two plate sections 66A, 66B, and as illustratedin FIG. 13B, the worker rotates the holding member 76 via the shaftmember 70 and engages the holding member 76 so that the two platesections 66A, 66B are held in an open state.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the inner abutting surface 5802 of the lowermold 58 is abutted against the portion of the innerliner 22 abuttedagainst the second annular surface 3202.

Next, as illustrated in FIGS. 6 to 8, the upper mold 56 is inserted onthe shaft member 70, and the upper mold side positioning cylindricalsurface 6208 of the upper mold 56 is inserted into the cylinder portion22C of the innerliner 22.

Next, the coil spring 72 and the nut 74 are disposed above the uppermold 56, and the outer abutting surface 6210 of the upper mold 56 isheated via the heating portion 64.

Then, the nut 74 is rotated to adjust the elastic force of the coilspring 72 acting in the direction for the upper mold 56 to move towardthe lower mold 58.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, the elastic force of the coil spring 72 biasesthe upper mold 56 and the lower mold 58 in a direction toward oneanother, and the outer abutting surface 6210 of the upper mold 56 abutsthe cylinder portion 22C of the innerliner 22 against the first annularsurface 40 of the mouthpiece 26.

Specifically, the second abutting surface 6210B of the upper mold 56thermally deforms the cylinder portion 22C outward in the radialdirection so that the cylinder portion 22C abuts against the inclinedsurface 4002 of the mouthpiece 26.

Additionally, the first abutting surface 6210A of the upper mold 56thermally deforms the end portion 2202 of the cylinder portion 22Coutward in the radial direction so that the end portion 2202 of thecylinder portion 22C abuts against the annular surface 4004.

Furthermore, the elastic force of the coil spring 72 makes the innerabutting surface 5802 of the outer circumferential member 68 abut thesection of the dome portion 22B of the innerliner 22 located near thecylinder portion 22C against the second annular surface 3202 of themouthpiece 26.

With the elastic force of the coil spring 72 in effect, the abutment ofthe outer abutting surface 6210 of the upper mold 56 against the firstannular surface 40 of the cylinder portion 22C; and the abutment of theinner abutting surface 5802 of the lower mold 58 against the secondannular surface 3202 of a section of the dome portion 22B near thecylinder portion 22C are maintained for the required amount of time.

In such processing, by the shaft member 70 being inserted into thebearing 63 of the upper mold 56, and by the upper mold side positioningcylindrical surface 6208 of the upper mold 56 being inserted into thelower mold side positioning cylindrical surface 5804 of the lower mold58, the upper mold 56 and the lower mold 58 are coaxially positioned.

After the required amount of time has elapsed, the nut 74 is operated,and the nut 74 and the coil spring 72 are removed from the shaft member70. Then the upper mold 56 is removed.

Next, the lower mold 58 is moved downward from the mouthpiece 26 via theshaft member 70, and the holding member 76 is rotated via the shaftmember 70 to put the plate sections 66A, 66B in a foldable state.

Next, the worker inserts his/her hand from the inner side of thecylinder portion 22C, folds up the two plate sections 66A, 66B, and thenremoves the lower mold 58 to the outside of the innerliner 22 from theinner side of the mouthpiece 26 via the shaft member 70. This completesthe process.

According to the present embodiment, the two sections 58A, 58B areinserted inside the innerliner 22 from the inner side of the mouthpiece26 in a folded state. Then, the two sections 58A, 58B are opened insidethe innerliner 22, and the holding member 76 holds the two sections 58A,58B in an open state.

In other words, the lower mold 58 can be disposed in the space of theinnerliner 22 sealed from the inner side of the mouthpiece 26, and theabutment of the outer abutting surface 6210 of the upper mold 56 againstthe first annular surface 40 of the cylinder portion 22C and theabutment of the inner abutting surface 5802 of the lower mold 58 againstthe second annular surface 3202 of a section of the dome portion 22Bnear the cylinder portion 22C can be performed.

Accordingly, the cylinder portion 22C of the innerliner 22 can bereliably thermally deformed to conform to the first annular surface 40of the mouthpiece 26, and the inner circumferential portion of the domeportion 22B can be reliably attached to the skirt portion 32 by anadhesive.

Additionally, the shaft member 70 is provided on the section 58A thatconstitutes the lower mold 58. This is advantageous in that the uppermold 56 and the lower mold 58 can be easily and reliably coaxiallypositioned and in that the operation of inserting the two sections 58A,58B in a folded state inside the innerliner 22 from the inner side ofthe mouthpiece 26 can be easily and efficiently performed.

Additionally, the biasing portion 60 is provided that biases the uppermold 56 in a direction toward the lower mold 58. This is advantageous inthat the section of the mouthpiece 26 between by the first annularsurface 40 and the second annular surface 3202 can be sandwiched for apredetermined amount of time by the inner abutting surface 5802 and theouter abutting surface 6210 with the innerliner 22 disposedtherebetween, the cylinder portion 22C of the innerliner 22 can bereliably thermally deformed to conform to the first annular surface 40of the mouthpiece 26, and the inner circumferential portion of the domeportion 22B can be reliably attached to the skirt portion 32 via anadhesive.

Furthermore, in another embodiment, a link mechanism or an air cylindermay be used instead of the biasing portion 60. In the state illustratedin FIG. 8, the mouthpiece 26 and the upper mold 56 are supported in amanner not allowing movement upward. Thus, for example, a link mechanismor an air cylinder can be used for moving the shaft member 70 upward.The configuration of the biasing portion 60 is not limited to those ofthe embodiments, and a configuration from various known configurationscan be employed. However, the biasing portion 60 including the coilspring 72, as in the embodiments, is advantageous in simplifying thestructure of the biasing portion 60, reducing the number of parts, andreducing the cost of the device.

Note that the holding member 76 may be provided in a manner allowing itto slide between a first position and a second position. However, as inthe present embodiment, providing the holding member 76 in a mannerallowing it to integrally rotate with the shaft member 70 isadvantageous in that the holding member 76 can simply rotate inside theinnerliner 22 and that the time required to forming can be reduced.

Second Embodiment

Next, a second embodiment will be described.

Note that in this embodiment, components identical to those of the firstembodiment have identical reference signs to those of the firstembodiment, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

As illustrated in FIGS. 16 to 19, an attaching device 80 of the secondembodiment includes the upper mold 56, the lower mold 58, and thebiasing portion 60.

The upper mold 56 includes the upper mold body 62 and the heatingportion 64.

The material of the upper mold body 62 is the same as that in the firstembodiment. As illustrated in FIGS. 20A and 20B, the shaft insertionhole 6202, the heating portion containing recess portion 6204, the uppercylindrical surface portion 6206, an upper mold side positioningcylindrical surface 6220, and the outer abutting surface 6210 areprovided on the upper mold body 62. The shaft insertion hole 6202, theupper cylindrical surface portion 6206, the upper mold side positioningcylindrical surface 6220, and the outer abutting surface 6210 arecoaxially located.

The upper mold side positioning cylindrical surface 6220 is formed asthe radially inward inner circumferential surface of the lower portionof the upper cylindrical surface portion 6206 and the radially inwardinner circumferential surface of the outer abutting surface 6210.

The outer abutting surface 6210 is disposed on the lower portion of theupper cylindrical surface portion 6206.

As illustrated in FIGS. 16 to 19, the lower mold 58 is coaxiallydisposed with the upper mold 56 under the upper mold 56.

The lower mold 58 includes the inner abutting surface 5802 and a lowermold side positioning cylindrical surface 5810.

The inner abutting surface 5802 is the section that abuts the section ofthe dome portion 22B near the cylinder portion 22C against the secondannular surface (inner skirt surface) 3202 to attach the two via anadhesive.

The lower mold side positioning cylindrical surface 5810 is formed witha cylindrical surface with the axial center of the lower mold 58 as acenter axis and is capable of engaging with the upper mold sidepositioning cylindrical surface 6220.

In the present embodiment, the lower mold 58 includes the plate portion66 and a cylinder-like member 82.

The plate portion 66 is formed of a disk-like member that has an outerdiameter that corresponds to the outer diameter of the second annularsurface 3202, and as in the first embodiment, an aluminum alloy is usedfor the plate portion 66.

The upper surface of the outer circumferential portion of the plateportion 66 is formed as the inner abutting surface 5802.

The cylinder-like member 82 is disposed in a cylindrical shape standingupright from the plate portion 66 with an outer diameter less than theinner diameter of the cylinder portion 22C, is formed of a material witha lower thermal conductivity than that of the upper mold 56, withrigidity, and with a higher heat resistance than that of the innerliner22 and is detachably attached to the upper surface of the plate portion66. A fluororesin is used for the cylinder-like member 82, similar tothe outer circumferential member 68 of the first embodiment.

The outer circumferential surface of the cylinder-like member 82 isformed as the lower mold side positioning cylindrical surface 5810,which is capable of engaging with the upper mold side positioningcylindrical surface 6220.

A curved surface 8202 is formed on the outer circumferential portion ofthe base end of the cylinder-like member 82. The curved surface 8202gradually rises from the inner circumferential end of the inner abuttingsurface 5802 and is continuously connected to the lower mold sidepositioning cylindrical surface 5810.

A conical surface 8204 with a diameter that decreases upwards is formedon the outer circumferential end of the end of the cylinder-like member82. The conical surface 8204 facilitates the smooth engagement of theupper mold side positioning cylindrical surface 6220 and the lower moldside positioning cylindrical surface 5810.

The lower mold 58 is composed of two sections 58A, 58B as in the firstembodiment. As illustrated in FIGS. 21A and 21B, the sections 58A, 58Binclude the two plate sections 66A, 66B coupled together and swingablevia the hinge 78 and, as illustrated in FIGS. 22A to 22D, twocylinder-like member sections 82A, 82B.

Half of each of the inner abutting surface 5802 and the lower mold sidepositioning cylindrical surface 5804 is formed on each of the platesections 66A, 66B and the cylinder-like member sections 82A, 82B.

When the two plate sections 66A, 66B are in an open state, the innerabutting surface 5802 is formed from the outer circumferential portionof each of the plate sections 66A, 66B, and the lower mold sidepositioning cylindrical surface 5810 is formed from the outercircumferential surface of each of the cylinder-like member sections82A, 82B.

As in the first embodiment, the shaft member 70 and the holding member76 are provided on the plate section 66A.

Next, a process of attaching the innerliner 22 and the mouthpiece 26together using the attaching device 80 of the second embodiment will bedescribed.

As illustrated in FIG. 10, an adhesive is applied to the surface of thedome portion 22B near the cylinder portion 22C, and the mouthpiece 26 isplaced on the surface of the dome portion 22B near the cylinder portion22C so that the cylinder portion 22C is inserted on the inner side ofthe bulging portion 38.

Next, as in the first embodiment, the two plate sections 66A, 66B areput in a folded state and inserted inside the innerliner 22 from theinner side of the cylinder portion 22C via the shaft member 70, theworker inserts his/her hand from the inner side of the cylinder portion22C to open the two plate sections 66A, 66B, and the worker rotates theholding member 76 via the shaft member 70 and engages the holding member76 so that the two plate sections 66A, 66B are held in an open state.

As illustrated in FIG. 16, the inner abutting surface 5802 of the lowermold 58 is abutted against the portion of the innerliner 22 abuttedagainst the second annular surface 3202.

Next, as illustrated in FIGS. 16 to 18, the shaft member 70 is insertedin the shaft insertion hole 6202 of the upper mold 56, the coil spring72 and the nut 74 are disposed above the upper mold 56, and the outerabutting surface 6210 of the upper mold 56 is heated via the heatingportion 64. Then, the upper mold side positioning cylindrical surface6220 is engaged with the lower mold side positioning cylindrical surface5810.

Then, the nut 74 is rotated to adjust the elastic force of the coilspring 72 acting in the direction for the upper mold 56 to move towardthe lower mold 58.

As illustrated in FIG. 19, the elastic force of the coil spring 72biases the upper mold 56 and the lower mold 58 in a direction toward oneanother, and the outer abutting surface 6210 of the upper mold 56 abutsthe cylinder portion 22C of the innerliner 22 against the first annularsurface 40 of the mouthpiece 26.

Specifically, the second abutting surface 6210B of the upper mold 56thermally deforms the cylinder portion 22C outward in the radialdirection so that the cylinder portion 22C abuts against the inclinedsurface 4002 of the mouthpiece 26.

Additionally, the first abutting surface 6210A of the upper mold 56thermally deforms the end portion 2202 of the cylinder portion 22Coutward in the radial direction so that the end portion 2202 of thecylinder portion 22C abuts against the annular surface 4004.

Furthermore, the elastic force of the coil spring 72 makes the innerabutting surface 5802 of the plate portion 66 abut the section of thedome portion 22B of the innerliner 22 located near the cylinder portion22C against the second annular surface 3202 of the mouthpiece 26.

With the elastic force of the coil spring 72 in effect, the abutment ofthe outer abutting surface 6210 of the upper mold 56 against the firstannular surface 40 of the cylinder portion 22C; and the abutment of theinner abutting surface 5802 of the lower mold 58 against the secondannular surface 3202 of a section of the dome portion 22B near thecylinder portion 22C are maintained for the required amount of time.

In such processing, by the shaft member 70 being inserted into the shaftinsertion hole 6202 of the upper mold 56, and by the upper mold sidepositioning cylindrical surface 6220 of the upper mold 56 being insertedinto the lower mold side positioning cylindrical surface 5810 of thelower mold 58, the upper mold 56 and the lower mold 58 are coaxiallypositioned.

After the required amount of time has elapsed, the nut 74 is operated,and the nut 74 and the coil spring 72 are removed from the shaft member70. Then the upper mold 56 is removed.

Next, the lower mold 58 is moved downward from the mouthpiece 26 via theshaft member 70, and the holding member 76 is rotated via the shaftmember 70 to put the plate sections 66A, 66B in a foldable state.

Next, the worker inserts his/her hand from the inner side of thecylinder portion 22C, folds up the two plate sections 66A, 66B, and thenremoves the lower mold 58 to the outside of the innerliner 22 from theinner side of the mouthpiece 26 via the shaft member 70. This completesthe process.

According to the second embodiment, as with the first embodiment, thecylinder portion 22C of innerliner 22 can be reliably thermally deformedto conform to the first annular surface 40 of the mouthpiece 26, and theinner circumferential portion of the dome portion 22B can be reliablyattached to the skirt portion 32 by an adhesive.

Note that in the present embodiment, a case has been described in whichthe mouthpiece side joining portion is formed as the female thread 36and the lid side joining portion is formed as the male thread 50.However, in another embodiment of the present technology, the mouthpieceside joining portion may be formed as the male thread and the lid sidejoining portion may be formed as the female thread, with the lid 34covering the cylinder-like portion 30.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A device for attaching a mouthpiece to aninnerliner of an aircraft water tank, wherein a cylinder portioncentrally located on a dome portion of an innerliner is located on aninner side of an annular mouthpiece, the cylinder portion abuts againsta first annular surface that extends in an annular manner with an axialcenter of the mouthpiece as a center, and a section of the dome portionnear the cylinder portion abuts against a second annular surface thatextends in an annular manner with the axial center of the mouthpiece asa center and that faces an opposite direction to the first annularsurface, the device comprising: an upper mold; a lower mold; and abiasing portion that biases the upper mold and the lower mold toward oneanother; the lower mold comprising two sections coupled together andswingable between an open state in which the two sections are openedflat and a folded state in which the two sections are folded andcomprising an inner abutting surface capable of abutting a section ofthe dome portion near the cylinder portion of the innerliner against thesecond annular surface, a holding portion capable of holding the twosections in the open state, and a shaft member joined to one of the twosections that projects along an axial center of the inner abuttingsurface from a center of the two sections in the open state; and theupper mold comprising an outer abutting surface coaxially disposed withthe lower mold, from above the lower mold, in a manner allowing theouter abutting surface to move, the outer abutting surface abutting thecylinder portion against the first annular surface, the shaft memberbeing inserted into the outer abutting surface.
 2. The device forattaching a mouthpiece to an innerliner of an aircraft water tankaccording to claim 1, wherein the biasing portion comprises a coilspring installed around a section of the shaft member located on anopposite side of the upper mold to the lower mold.
 3. The device forattaching a mouthpiece to an innerliner of an aircraft water tankaccording to claim 2, wherein the biasing portion comprises a nutengaged with a section of the shaft member located on the opposite sideof the upper mold to the lower mold; the coil spring is disposed betweenthe upper mold and the nut; and a biasing force of the coil spring canbe adjusted by rotating the nut.
 4. The device for attaching amouthpiece to an innerliner of an aircraft water tank according to claim1, wherein the holding portion comprises a holding member supported bythe shaft member and disposed on a surface on an opposite side to a sidewhere the shaft member of the one of the sections projects; and theholding member is disposed in a manner allowing it to move between afirst position located on the surface of the one of the sections, thefirst position allowing the two sections to fold, and a second positionthat extends across a lower surface of the two sections, the secondposition allowing the two sections to be held in the open state.
 5. Thedevice for attaching a mouthpiece to an innerliner of an aircraft watertank according to claim 4, wherein the shaft member is supported by theone of the sections in a rotatable manner; the holding member isattached to the shaft member in an integrally rotatable manner; and theholding member at a first rotational position of the shaft membercorresponds to the first position, and the holding member at a secondrotational position of the shaft member 180 degrees rotated from thefirst rotational position corresponds to the second position.
 6. Thedevice for attaching a mouthpiece to an innerliner of an aircraft watertank according to claim 1, wherein the upper mold comprises an uppermold body comprising the outer abutting surface and a heating portionprovided on the upper mold body that heats the outer abutting surface.7. The device for attaching a mouthpiece to an innerliner of an aircraftwater tank according to claim 2, wherein the holding portion comprises aholding member supported by the shaft member and disposed on a surfaceon an opposite side to a side where the shaft member of the one of thesections projects; and the holding member is disposed in a mannerallowing it to move between a first position located on the surface ofthe one of the sections, the first position allowing the two sections tofold, and a second position that extends across a lower surface of thetwo sections, the second position allowing the two sections to be heldin the open state.
 8. The device for attaching a mouthpiece to aninnerliner of an aircraft water tank according to claim 7, wherein theshaft member is supported by the one of the sections in a rotatablemanner; the holding member is attached to the shaft member in anintegrally rotatable manner; and the holding member at a firstrotational position of the shaft member corresponds to the firstposition, and the holding member at a second rotational position of theshaft member 180 degrees rotated from the first rotational positioncorresponds to the second position.
 9. The device for attaching amouthpiece to an innerliner of an aircraft water tank according to claim8, wherein the upper mold comprises an upper mold body comprising theouter abutting surface and a heating portion provided on the upper moldbody that heats the outer abutting surface.